Randall Bewley
Encyclopedia
Randall "Randy" Bewley was the guitarist for the Athens, Georgia
band Pylon
. Born in Bradenton, Florida
, United States. He lived in Sarasota, Florida, Washington, DC and near Atlanta, Georgia while growing up. Bewley attended the University of Georgia
art school where he met Michael Lachowski
, a fellow art student. They became roommates and decided to form a band. He and Lachowski, along with fellow art students Vanessa Briscoe Hay
and Curtis Crowe
, formed the band, Pylon, having their first performance in 1979. On their first trip to New York City, they were written up in Interview Magazine.
Bewley was a very influential guitarist
and used the guitar
to create not just notes, but interesting sounds as well. Pylon recorded three albums
, three singles
and one EP
. Pylon has opened for U2
, R.E.M., the B-52's
, the Talking Heads and Gang of Four
. Pylon broke up twice, but reunited and had been playing occasional shows. Pylon's first album Gyrate was re-issued in October 2007 by DFA
records. Chomp is scheduled to be reissued in 2009.
Bewley was an art teacher for a while, but towards the end of his life devoted more time to his music and his own art. He also played with two other Athens projects: Sound Houses (formerly The New Sound of Numbers) and Supercluster
.
On February 23, 2009, Bewley was driving on Barber Street in Athens when he suffered a heart attack. According to the band's statement, his van drifted off the road and overturned. He was admitted to Athens Regional Medical Center
and lapsed into a coma; he died two days later on February 25 when he was removed from life support. He was 53.
Supercluster
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
band Pylon
Pylon (band)
Pylon is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The band's danceable jangle pop sound influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. Allmusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".-History:All four members of...
. Born in Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
, United States. He lived in Sarasota, Florida, Washington, DC and near Atlanta, Georgia while growing up. Bewley attended the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
art school where he met Michael Lachowski
Michael Lachowski
Michael Lachowski is the bass guitar player for Pylon, a band from Athens, Georgia. He was born in Norfolk, Virginia and attended the University of Georgia art school. He and his roommate Randy Bewley formed Pylon, recruiting Curtis Crowe as a drummer, and Vanessa Briscoe Hay, a fellow student at...
, a fellow art student. They became roommates and decided to form a band. He and Lachowski, along with fellow art students Vanessa Briscoe Hay
Vanessa Briscoe Hay
Vanessa Briscoe Hay is an American singer for the Athens, Georgia bands Pylon and Supercluster.-Biography:...
and Curtis Crowe
Curtis Crowe
Curtis Crowe is the drummer for the Athens, Georgia rock band Pylon. He is a native of Marietta, Georgia and is the middle of five children. Curtis moved to Athens to attend the University of Georgia art school. His sister Rhett Crowe was later the bass player for the band Guadalcanal Diary, a...
, formed the band, Pylon, having their first performance in 1979. On their first trip to New York City, they were written up in Interview Magazine.
Bewley was a very influential guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and used the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
to create not just notes, but interesting sounds as well. Pylon recorded three albums
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, three singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and one EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. Pylon has opened for U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, R.E.M., the B-52's
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
, the Talking Heads and Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
. Pylon broke up twice, but reunited and had been playing occasional shows. Pylon's first album Gyrate was re-issued in October 2007 by DFA
DFA
DFA may refer to:* Directory of Financial Advisers, DFA a private directory of Financial Advisers in New Zealand-Computing:* Data-flow analysis, a technique for gathering information about the possible set of values calculated at various points in a computer program* Deterministic finite automaton,...
records. Chomp is scheduled to be reissued in 2009.
Bewley was an art teacher for a while, but towards the end of his life devoted more time to his music and his own art. He also played with two other Athens projects: Sound Houses (formerly The New Sound of Numbers) and Supercluster
Supercluster (band)
Supercluster is a recording project that formed during 2007 in Athens, Georgia. It includes musicians from the Athens, Georgia bands New Sound Of Numbers, Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Casper & the Cookies, Of Montreal, Circulatory System and Pylon , along with Elephant 6 recording artists John...
.
On February 23, 2009, Bewley was driving on Barber Street in Athens when he suffered a heart attack. According to the band's statement, his van drifted off the road and overturned. He was admitted to Athens Regional Medical Center
Athens Regional Medical Center
Athens Regional Medical Center is a 364-bed regional referral trauma II hospital in Athens, Georgia, United States, one of only eight Level II centers in the state. Serving a 17-county region in Northeast Georgia, Athens Regional Health Services is one of Northeast Georgia's largest health care...
and lapsed into a coma; he died two days later on February 25 when he was removed from life support. He was 53.
Discography
Pylon- Cool/Dub 7" single (Caution Records 1979)
- Gyrate LP (DB RecordsDB RecordsDB Records is a record label owned by Danny Beard. The label's headquarters reside in the Wax N Facts record store in the Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood of Little Five Points.-History:In 1978, Danny Beard helped some friends in an Athens, Georgia rock band...
, Armageddon 1980) - Pylon !! 10" EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(DB Records, Armageddon 1980) - Crazy/M-Train 7" single (DB Records 1981)
- Beep/Altitude 7" single (DB Records 1982)
- Four Minutes/Beep/Altitude EP (DB Records 1982)
- Chomp LP (DB Records 1983)
- Hits LP/CD (DB Records 1988)
- Chain LP/CD (Sky RecordsSky RecordsSky Records was a Hamburg, Germany based independent record label specializing in Krautrock/Kosmische Musik and electronic music. Some of their releases could be classified as progressive rock or art rock, experimental music, industrial, ambient, or New Age...
1990) - Gyrate Plus CD (DFA RecordsDFA RecordsDFA Records is an independent record label and production team, launched in September 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. The label has an exclusive distribution deal with major record label EMI....
2007) - Chomp MoreCD (DFA RecordsDFA RecordsDFA Records is an independent record label and production team, launched in September 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. The label has an exclusive distribution deal with major record label EMI....
2009)
Supercluster
- Special 5 EP CD-RCD-RA CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
(self issued, 2008) - Waves CD CD (Studio Mouse Productions for Cloud Recordings, 2009)
- I Got the Answer/Sunflower Clock 7" single (Cloud Recordings 2009)